Study on mechanical and flow properties of acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene/poly(methyl methacrylate)/nano‐calcium carbonate composites

Abstract Acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS)/poly(methyl meth‐acrylate) (PMMA)/nano‐calcium carbonate (nano‐CaCO₃) composites were prepared in a corotating twin screw extruder. Four kinds of nano‐CaCO₃ particles with different diameters and surface treatment were used in this study. The properties of the composites were analyzed by tensile tests, Izod impact tests, melt flow index (MFI) tests, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). This article is focused on the effect of nano‐CaCO₃ particles' size and surface treatment on various properties of ABS/PMMA/nano‐CaCO₃ composites. The results show that the MFI of all the composites reaches a maximum value when the content of nano‐CaCO₃ is 4 wt%. In comparison with untreated nano‐CaCO₃ composites, the MFI of stearic acid treated nano‐CaCO₃ composites is higher and more sensitive to temperature. The tensile yield strength decreases slightly with the increase of nano‐CaCO₃ content. However, the size and surface treatment of nano‐CaCO₃ particles have little influence on the tensile yield strength of composites. In contrast, all of nano‐CaCO₃ particles decrease Izod impact strength significantly. Stearic acid treated nano‐CaCO₃ composites have superior Izod impact strength to untreated nano‐CaCO₃ composites with the same nano‐CaCO₃ content. Furthermore, the Izod impact strength of 100 nm nano‐CaCO₃ composites is higher than that of 25 nm nano‐CaCO₃ composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 31:1593–1602, 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers